Letters | US, China, India or Hong Kong: how ‘magician’ leaders misdirect and rule. Can media be the hero?

Take the US, for instance. Are illegal immigrants from Mexico the real threat to the economy? Probably by migrating to the US and taking up jobs which nobody wants, they are keeping inflation low and making a major contribution to the US economy; similar to the significant but thankless contribution our imported domestic helpers are making to the economy of Hong Kong.

In the case of India, is Pakistan really the primary threat? Isn’t the fact that an entire generation of able individuals will be wasting their productive lifespan, due to a lack of jobs and opportunities, a much bigger worry? India has more than half of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65 per cent below 35. It is expected that in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29, compared to 37 years for China and 48 for Japan.

We don’t need to look outside the country. India can learn from its own experience in Kashmir, as to how an alienated young generation can become easy prey for extremist and terrorist groups and organisations, destabilising the economy and the nation.

In the case of China, is Taiwan or the Dalai Lama the bigger threat? Isn’t the real threat related to ill-health due to pollution, an ageing population, disintegration of the rural economy and the failure of the old centrally planned industrial model?

In the case of Hong Kong, are the few frustrated youngsters who are probably just provoking the government by seeking independence from China the real threat? Isn’t the real threat the deterioration of standards (take the MTR scandals for instance), falling standards of English, the broken public health system, an alienated populace that once was proud of values like the right to free speech, rule of law, the cleanliness of the city – and who don’t care any more, as they have totally lost hope and are living a life of quiet desperation? The list could go on.